Electric-cut-out box.



T. E. MURRAY. 1111111011110 GUT-OUT BOX. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19,1910. w

' Patented June 20, 1911.

R 1 HI I v \&v 1 1 specification.

. and connections are not herein shown specifi- To all whom 'it mayconcern:

conditions involving heavy currents of elecus AET orric THOMAS E.MURRAY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

assess.

Be it known "that I, THOMAS E. MURRAY, a citizen'of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric- Cut-OutBoxes, of which the following isa Inanother application for LettersPatent, Serial No. 588,955, filed by me October 25, 1910, I havedescribed andclaimed a meter testing cut-out which comprises a cut-outbox and pairs of separable spring contact plates therein which areconnected to the terminals of the service and local conductors and ofthe meter. A single manually operated device, to which may previously beconnected the standardizing or testing apparatus, is applied to saidcontactplates, with the result that connections are established betweenthe meter, standardizing apparatus and service line, without disturbingcircuit to said local conductors.

My present invention improves the construction of the cutout-box used intheaforesaid device, so as to render it suitable for tricity which itmight be ditiicult to deal with in spring contacts constructed andarranged as shown inmy aforesaid application.

It is to be understood that the construction of the manually applieddevice and the circuit connections are the same as in my saidapplication, and hence said construction cally or in detail. I

In the accompanying drawingsFigure l is a plan view of my improved metertesting cut-out block. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the block onthe line 2, 2 of Fig. 1, the contact plates being removed. Fig. 3 is atransverse section on the line 3, 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transversesection on the line 4:, 4 of Fig. 1, showing the cover and locking barin place. Fig. 5 is a transverse sect-ion on the line 5, 5 of Fig. 1,showing the contact plugs inserted between: the contact bars for metertesting urposes.

Similar letters of re erence indicate like parts.

The cut'out box A is preferably formed of a solid block of refractoryinsulating material, such as porcelain. In one end it hasELEOTRIC-CUT-OUT BOX. i

Specification of Letters Patent.

five recesses b, 0, (Z, c, at the other end five l correspondlngrecesses g, h, 2', 7', is, and in the Patented Juneau, 1911.

Application filed November 19, 1910. Serial No. 593,163.

middle five recesses Z, m, n, 0, p; the middle recesses being connectedto the end recesses by passages, as g, r, Fig. 2. In the walls of thepassages are recesses B, which are wedge shaped in cross section,tapering upwardly. From the recess B the passage is gradually enlargedby making the surface of one wall inclined or beveled outwardly to meetthe wall of the middle recess, (as Z) as shown at C, dotted lines,Fig. 1. .The recesses B in the passages 9 between the middle recesses Z,m, n, 0, p and the end recesses b, c, d, e, f are in walls of said wallsin which are formed the recesses 13 in the passages 1" between themiddle recesses Z m, n, 0, p and the end recesses g, h, z, j, k.

Extending from each end recess. 6, 0, e, f into the middle recesses Z,m, 0, p is a contact bar D, formed of a plurality of laminationspreferably of sheet copper. Extending from each end recess 9, ]L, j, 7:'1s a similar contact bar E. The ends of said bars are bent slightly inopposite directions and overlap one another in said middle recesses.

The laininations of each bar are of unequal height, so that thelamination F on the inner side of each bar may be bent outwardly overthe other laininations, Each contact bar is secured in place by a wedgeG inserted in the recess B, as shown in Fig. 4. The bottom of the box Ais countersunk, so that after the wedges are inserted, a protectingcover H may be seated therein and secured by suitable screw bolts I.

Through the end recesses (Z and 2' and middle recess 12 extends aconducting bar J which may be laminated to correspond to the contactbars D, E, if desired. Thisbar is secured by wedges in the same way asbars D, E. The positive service conductor of a three-wire systemis-here-shown connected to the end of bar D in recess Z), the negativeconductor to the end of bar'D in recess f, and the neutral conductor tothe end of bar J. The positive local conductor is connected to bar D inrecess 0, the negative local conductor to bar D in recess 6, and theneutral local conductor to the service neutral-conductor. At theopposite end of the box, the meter field coils K and L have their terminals connected to bars E inrecesses g, h, 7', 7c. The meter armatureconnection is made in'the usual way.

The gang plug M, having a handle 0 on its upper side and four plugs P onits lower side is indicated in Fig. 5, sufficiently to.

as shown .in Fig. 5.

(not shown) The insertion o l the plugs is facilitated by bending theinner laminations of said bars over the outer laminations, as alreadydescribed. To these plugs in the mode set forth in my aforesaidapplication, the testing instruments are connected.

The number of laminations in each bar I) E may be varied in accordancewith the current to be conducted, and in this way v the apparatus may beadapted to currents of varying strength. 7 The wedges may, of course, beremoved, as desired, and wedges of different thicknesses used to suitthe number of laminations in the bar secured. ln order to preventunauthorized access to the contacts, I provide a metal flanged cover Qwhich fits over the base bloclgand has openings to receive two fixedlugs R, S, through which pass a headed bar T, secured by any suitableseal device U.

I claim: 1. Two spring contact bars extending in relatively oppositedirections and in overlapping contact at their end portions, each ofsaid bars being formed of a plurality of separable laminations laid injuxtaposition, a support, and means for clamping the laminations of eachbar together and to said support.

2. Two spring contact bars extending in relatively opposite directionsand in overlapping contact at their end portions, each of said barsbeing formed of a plu 'ality of separable laminations laid injuxtaposition,

a support having openings receiving said bars, and wedges entering saidopenings and securing said bars therein. 7

3. Two-spring co'ntactbars in overlapping contact at their endportionsQeach formed of a plurality of laminations of different widths,the contacting lamination of each,

plate being bent over the other laminations of said bar, a support,and'means for securing said bars to said support.

at. A blocl' having a passage and an open recess in said passage, andtwo leaf spring bars disposed in said passage edge upward and havingtheir end portions in-overlapping contact in said recess, and means insaid passage for securing said bars.

5. A block having a passage and an open recess in said passage and twoleaf spring bars, each formed of a plurality of laminations, disposed insaid passage edge upward and having their end portions in overlappingcontact in said recess, and means in said passage for securing saidbars.

6. A block having a passage provided with an opening on its under sideand a recess in said passage open on its upper side, two leaf springbars disposed in said passage edge upward and having their end portionsin overlapping contact in said recess, and wedges disposed between saidbars and the passage walls.

In testimony whereof I have ai'tixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

THOMAS MURRAY.

Witnesses GERTRUDE T. PORTER, MAY T. MCGARRY.

